Illinois Safety Test for "D" plated trucks? Requirement?

[jbeletti]

In the ongoing saga of "The Misadventures of Jim", I was pulled over today by the Glendale Heights, IL police when they did not notice a Safety Test sticker on my windshield.

I have Illinois "D" truck plates (for over 8,000 pounds). Once pulled over, the officer verified my D plates and no Safety Test sticker. This is a new one on me. Specifically, the citation states "No Valid Safety Test" and cites ILCS (Illinois Compiled Statutes) CH 625 SEC 13.111.

Still trying to determine if this statute of the Illinois Vehicle Code applies to my vehicle.

Does anyone in Illinois with a "D" plated pickup truck know anything about this?


Here's a link to the code. Scroll down to 625 ILCS 5/13‑111 to see:

Sec. 13‑111. Operation without certificate of safety attached; Effective date of certificate.
(a) Except as provided for in Chapter 13, no person shall operate any vehicle required to be inspected by this Chapter upon the highways of this State unless there is affixed to that vehicle a certificate of safety then in effect. The Secretary of State, State Police, and other police officers shall enforce this Section. The Department shall determine the expiration date of the certificate of safety.
The certificates, all forms and records, reports of tests and retests, and the full procedure and methods of making the tests and retests, shall be in the form prescribed by the Department.
(b) Every person convicted of violating this Section is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor.
(Source: P.A. 88‑415.)

 

[Tom of Ypsi]

Hi Jim,

While not living in Illinois I did read the code, heavy reading for 5:30 am, and I think this pertains to commercial use only. Having said that I would fight it all of the way. It looks like it is another way for the cities, towns, burgs or whatever to make a little money since the states cannot keep giving them money for their ineffectiveness in handling their municipalities.

 

[driver311]

Used to live in il. If you have D plates you need to have a safety sticker. Cant get by with out it.

edgar

 

[jbeletti]

UPDATE: Semi-Annual Safety Inspections for Illinois D-plated Trucks & Flat Weight Tax

Hi folks,

Well, a sad update to this topic. After reading the the statute of the Illinois Vehicle Code covering safety inspections, I called Springfield and spoke to Tony Klasing (217-785-1181) in the Traffic Safety section at the Illinois DOT. Tony was very nice and very helpful (most refreshing if you'd ever called Springfield).

Here's what I have learned:

• First Division Vehicles are those designed to carry not more than 10 passengers
• Second Division Vehicles are those designed to carry more than 10 passengers, used for living quarters and designed for pulling or carrying property, freight or cargo. As such, all pickup trucks with a bed, regardless of the truck size/rating
• Second Division Vehicles that weigh 8,001 pounds or more are required to have an Illinois Vehicle Safety Inspection twice a year and a window sticker displayed
• Second Division Vehicles by law, have a maximum speed limit of 55 MPH. That's towing or not.
• First and Second Division Vehicles, when towing a trailer of 8,001 pounds or greater, have a maximum speed limit of 55 MPH. So this affects B plated trucks as well.
• Second Division Vehicles are required to carry emergency triangle kits or road flares

So for D plated trucks, the inspection requirement therefore is not a function of your use of the truck (tow or not, commercial or not), it's a function of being 8,001 pounds or greater in weight. For B plated truck, the inspection requirement applies only if you tow a trailer that is 8,001 pounds or greater in weight.

This is a twice annual inspection requirement.

There is no published list of state licensed safety inspection facilities. I asked how people are supposed to know where to go and was told me that most people with commercial vehicles know already. But he said that if people call, they will be given the locations in their area. For me (western Chicago suburbs), I was told there are two in Arlington Heights, one in Wheaton and one in Aurora. I took a couple addresses as follows:

Aurora, IL:
Coffman Truck Sales, 1149 West Lake Street, 630.892.7093
Cost: *$20.50 (for 1 ton dually)

Wheaton, IL:
Holstein's Garage, 309 West Front Street, 630.668.0328
Cost: *$25.00 (for 1 ton dually)

* Costs breakdown as $x per axle plus $x for the sticker. Pricing varies by area. Costs are for passing inspections. Failed inspections are at a different cost. Coffman's price was over the phone. I'll update after Jeff checks it out first hand.

I'll be getting my inspection today and I still plan to go before the judge and request a dismissal of the citation.

Jim
(living and learning)

On edit:

I have attached a few excerpts from the Illinois Vehicle Code for reference. This is no way is meant to be comprehensive, please use this as non-professional advice.

Upon reading the code for Inspection of Vehicles, the Safety Test will include the testing and inspection of my warning flags and flares among many other items. As such, I'll be buying a "portable emergency reflector" kit (3 reflectors) that meets Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 125, "before" my test today. My testing facility sells a kit for $20. While it has went back and forth over the years, I was told by phone by the testing facility that a fire extinguisher will "not" be required (although I carry one).

On edit #2:

Got the inspection done this afternoon at Holsteins Garage in Wheaton, IL. Painless - fast. When they were done with the paperwork and taking my money, the truck had a sticker on it (see attached) and was ready to go. I bought my (huge) triangle kit there for $20 too. Guess I am set until Febuary of 2006!

On edit #3:

Looking more closely at the information regarding B and D classification plates on the Illinois Secretary of State website, I wanted to determine conclusively, whether my 1 ton, long bed, quad cab, dually pickup truck "required" D plates. Jeff also mentioned to me that he has seen several B plated trucks like ours, running around the Chicago area. Well, from the text at the B & D plate links above, it is unclear whether you can just declare your truck's "actual" weight, use the manufacturer's "curb" weight or whether you need to use the truck's GVWR (curb weight + payload capacity).

So I called (800-252-8980) the Secretary of State's office in Springfield today to find out. The woman I spoke to told me Gross Vehicle Weight. At the same time, while kind, helpful and sympathetic to my request, she was unable to show me in writing, that I need to use GVW as the test for B vs. D plating. She did confirm that it is in the Illinois Vehicle Code.

So off I went again, perusing the code and sure enough, there it is in 625 ILCS 5/3‑815 (see attachment 5: IL Vehicle Flat Weight Tax - 625 ILCS 5- 3-815.doc). In that attachment, you'll see that it clearly states "Gross Weight in Lbs. Including Vehicle and Maximum Load". The document, which is an excerpt from the code, contains two tables. One for trucks of varying weights (plate classifications) and one for campers/trailers/motorhomes of various weights. In these tables, I have bold red fonted where I interpret my truck and trailer falling into.

In presenting all of this data, I in no way mean to appear as the weight or plating police or to pass judgement on anyone, regardless of their plating choices. I present it as my experience and for informational purposes only.

 

[RVCamper]

Interesting

Jim,

I googled for information on "D" plates and what do I find .. Anyway, we are proud new owners of a F-350, and the dealer is telling me that I need D plates. I called the Sec of State in Chicago, after reading just "weight" on the Cyberdriveillinois.com site, they say if they vehicle weighs less than 8,000 I'm all good. So I get it weighed, and YES, I'm under 8k (not by much). I have the CAT scale weigh ticket!

Now I read your post and you say GVWR. I still confused as the whole site refers to vehicles that weigh less than 8k (vanity plates etc.)

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

This topic has been a concern of mine since this Spring when Lin & I converted back to IL residents. When we initially changed our titles and registered when the friendly folks in Oregon, IL said I sould have "D" plates. We have several friends doing what we do and run "B" plates. They have told us the DMV rules for inspections and "D" plates are for commercial and we didn't have to worry about it. I still worried but went for the "B" plate anyway. I guess now I have to re-consider. We're saving money on state taxes but would be spending it on higher cost insurance, registrations and inspections required with the "D" plate. Maybe it's time to move to S.D. ? I've seen both plates on 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. I suppose I could just let it ride and see what happens. In reality, though it doesn't matter, we only spend about 3 weeks a year in IL.

 

[jbeletti]

Hi guys,

My Dodge dealer told me I needed to D plate by 1-ton dually so that is why mine was D plated.

I was not made aware of the semi-annual state safety inspection until I received a traffic citation for it when the cop was unable to ticket me for speeding (cuz I was being a good boy).

This is when I researched the IL Vehicle Code and found that the cop was right on the inspections.

As for B vs D plating on 8k, it seemed to be open to interpretation. Since my dealer decided for me, there was no decision for me to make.

If you end up going to D plates later, delight in the fact that you are not H plated like I am now!!

Jim

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Jim! Have you been to court yet? Just curious, how much was your fine if you don't mind me asking? I'm certainly not trying to get around the law and I want to be legal and all but for me it's a huge inconvenience for the inspections. Registering in SD may be my best option. A few questions, how did you go about finding a place to get your truck inspected? Do you also have to get the diesel inspection? EPA Inspection? These are all in the codes too. I spent a couple hours searching and reading codes a couple nights ago and got pretty frustrated with the legal language.

 

[jbeletti]

Ray,

I searched some site to find the State authorized test centers. I used Holstein's Garage in Wheaton. Think it costs $30 twice a year. As it is merely a safety inspection, it is very perfunctory. All I added to my truck was a reflector kit ($20) and they sold them there. Inspection takes 10 minutes. One guys inspects (maybe) while the boss does the state paperwork. In/out fast.

I went to court to plead ignorance after I got my inspection. I went with pictures of my D plate, pictures of my inspection sticker. The city attorney tried to get me to plead guilty for a reduced fine and I told her I'd risk it with the judge. Turns out she knew the cop was not in court. When my case came up, the city asked for a continuance. The judge said no and said goodbye to me. Case dismissed. Perfect!

I am attaching 2 documents and will promise a 3rd. The first specifies that vehicles of the second division require the semi-annual inspection.

The second specifies the cost (tax) for your plates for both the truck and trailer. In these documents, highlighted or red fonted text is for the D plate stuff when I was in that zone. Note the cost of the H plates Just send me money! PayPal link to follow

The 3rd document that I will add to this later, when I get it off another computer, is the section of IL vehicle code that defines what is a vehicle of the second division. Most interpret it as a truck that has a gross weight, "including cargo" of 8k or more. It also limits speed to 55 MPH max by the way Not that I tow much faster than that but when not towing, it's nice to go the speed limit when it is higher than 55.

Jim

 

[jmgratz]

In Texas you just get your Texas Truck Plates, and state inspection once a year (everyone needs one) and go on down the road. You also need to get your RV a trailer inspection also.

 

[RVCamper]

Jim,

I did more research and what I found supports my position with "b" plates. The secretary of state site in the section on fees indicates http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/vehicles/basicfees.html gross weight. There is a publication they sent out to dealers, also on the site that indicates the you have to weigh the vehicle to get gross weight for Second Division. It also indicates that GVWR is not part of the second division classification! So as long as I am under 8k in actual weight (which I am), I can get B plates.

From the Site
" B-truck license plates are issued to Second Division vehicles weighing 8,000 pounds or less"

 

[123.pureclearh2o]

$20 for a safety inspection is cheap, and it keeps these yahoos off honest who are driving junk work trucks. Unfortunately, only a very, very few law enforcement officers bother to write the tickets or even check trucks. I've had my D plate since March of '04, and I've been stopped twice in 150,000 miles. I didn't know until recently I had to have it done TWICE a year. $20 x 2 is cheaper than $75 for ONE ticket, plus it keeps you on your toes with your own vehicle AND helps when you go to resell. As for helping out the municipalities, this isn't even a drop in the bucket, because it isn't widely enforced.

 

[Peteandsharon]

OK, let's make sure I have this correct. My lil' ol' F250 is solidly a class B truck. Now that I am pulling a Bighorn instead of a 7000 lb. travel trailer, I've essentially crossed over into the big truck's world and I am required to inspect that truck twice a year and have that inspection documented on my windshield. Do I have that correct? Hmmmm....... I have this picture in my mind of a slow speed OJ Simpson chase scene in which I am trying to pull the BH across the border into the safety of Wisconsin with a string of Illinois state troopers trailing behind me.

 

[jbeletti]

Pete,

That you have changed trailers does not impact how you need to license the same truck. As I interpret the Illinois Vehicle Code (and perhaps I do it improperly), its the capacity of that truck (not its weight) that determines plate type.

And D and higher plates in IL require that inspection, as they are Vehicles of the Second Division and I think the assumption made is that these heavier capacity vehicles will be used commercially.

That all said, I have an H plate on the current truck and have elected to not get the inspection sticker. The one time I was pulled over in IL in this truck, they said since I (in my mind only) classify my truck as my RV hauler, they let it go as an RV. I had the hitch in the back and have a hauler body.

Jim

 

[Peteandsharon]

Thanks Jim. It's not the licensing of the truck that I am questioning here. As I said, my truck is a B truck and I don't think that is in question. However, I am reacting to your earlier statement that any pickup truck with a bed will be required to get inspections if they are pulling a rig greater than 8000 pounds. That's what has changed for me. My previous travel trailer was less than 8000 pounds. My BH is not, so I'm in a new category unless I misunderstood your statement.

 

[Peteandsharon]

Jim,

This is the statement that I am referring to:

For B plated truck, the inspection requirement applies only if you tow a trailer that is 8,001 pounds or greater in weight.

 

[jpjulian]

Just to chime in Jim, I see you showing registration, equipment, speed and safety test IVC sections. Don't muddy the issue. DOT and SOS are notoriously unreliable sources of information. The commercial vehicle section of the Illinois State Police is the one and ONLY source for reliable information pertaining to all things truck. The issue of the safety test is not one which pertains only to Commercial vehicles but to the weight of the vehicle. If the vehicle is used in Commerce, ie: used for business purposes, and weighs more than 10,000 lbs., then the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations apply and enforcable only by an Illinois State Trooper within Illinois. The fire extinguisher is a requirment under MCS, not the Illinois Vehicle code. As for the safety test, B plated trucks were removed from the requirement sometime around 1980 and a bunch of clunkers that couldn't pass the test were suddenly once again appearing on the roadways. SOS will sell you whatever you want to buy. If you want to put a B plate on a Freightliner, they will sell it to you. Likewise if you want to put an F plate, good for up to 16,000 lbs. on a Toyota minivan, they will sell it to you. Again, for the safety test, weight is what counts, not the registration. The D plate and no visible safety test sticker on the windshield is mearly "reasonable suspicion" under the law to stop the vehicle and check its weight. Should no scale be available then the GVWR as shown on the federal sticker on the door jamb applies. There is no commercial use required to obtain the heavier registration or for the safety test. The trailer requirment for the safety test exempts RVs. My F250 weighs right at 8,000 lbs. with tool box, hitch, full fuel & Navigator in the right seat, so, my truck is plated for 8,000 lbs. Our Big Horn is plated for 14,000 lbs. The actual weight combined is 21,000 lbs. So we are plated correctly. But, and this is a big but, is the GVWR of my F250 is 9,800 lbs. and based on that should be subjected to the twice annual safety tests. I rely on the get out of jail badge and ID card in my wallet take my chances. I know, I know...... But living where you do, I will let you in on a little secret. SHHHH don't pass it on. There are several police departments in Dupage county that use truck enforcement for a source of revenue and are very aggressive enforcement wise. And I haven't seen a Dually of any brand that didn't weigh closer to 10,000 lbs. empty and personally wrote many, many overweight and registration and safety test tickets over the course of my career. And for those who believe they can somehow obscure the federal sticker's GVWR and fly that B plate to avoid the safety test, there is a computer program called vinassist that officers use in the field to obtain the manufacturure's GVWR. Sorry to hear you got pinched but doesn't surprise me at all. I spent 14 years of my career working in that neighborhood. Hope I didn't confuse anyone any further....

Joe

 

[jbeletti]

Hi Joe,

Thanks for the insight.

I no longer have that truck and the stop was a few years back. I got legal and the judge dismissed it.

I'll prod along fat, dumb and ignorant with my H plate and no sticker. It's an RV - really!

Jim

 

[boatto5er]

Hi Joe,

Thanks for the insight.

I no longer have that truck and the stop was a few years back. I got legal and the judge dismissed it.

I'll prod along fat, dumb and ignorant with my H plate and no sticker. It's an RV - really!

Jim

And a darned nice one at that! (Assuming JimToo hasn't gotten it completely sold for parts yet !)

Gus

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Joe, thanks for the clearing of the waters. We have the dually and are currently running the "B" plate. We discussed it this spring and since we found a convenient place in Rock Falls to get inspected we will renew in May and upgrade to a "D" plate. Just to play it safe. The only downside is our tolls will cost us more. Thank God for I-Pass.